1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-158263 discloses a connector with a first housing connectable to a second housing. A detector is assembled with the first housing and is movable between a standby position and a detection position located before the standby position. The detector has a deflection piece with a locking projection. The first housing has a lock arm with a lock hole, and the mating housing is provided with a lock projection.
A front part of the lock arm interferes with the lock projection in the process of connecting the two housings and this interference causes the lock arm to deflect. As a result, the locking projection enters the lock hole and contacts the front end of the lock hole, thereby keeping the detector in a state where a movement to the detection position is regulated.
The lock projection fits into the lock hole and pushes out the locking projection when the connection of the two housings is completed and the deflection piece is deflected and deformed as the lock arm returns. As a result, the detector can move to the detection position and the two housings are held in a state where separation of the two housings is regulated. Thus, an ability to move the detector from the standby position to the detection position indicates that the two housings are in a properly connected state.
In the above case, a front part of the deflection piece is in contact with the front part of the lock arm from above when the detector is at the standby position. Thus, the front part of the deflection piece can be displaced up together with the front part of the lock arm as the front part of the lock arm and the lock projection interfere with each other. Also, the integrity of the lock arm and the detector can be ensured in the process of deflecting the lock arm. However, the upper surface of an extending portion including the deflection piece is continuous at the same height over the entire length and the extending portion is relatively thick. Thus, opening dimensions of a guide space of the lock arm for receiving the extending portion tend to be large. As a result, there is little space to add a new structure to the lock arm, and there is a low degree of freedom in design.
The invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to provide a connector capable of ensuring the integrity of a lock arm and a detector in the process of deflecting the lock arm and enhancing a degree of freedom in design.